Animal keeping

I wondered who on the board currently keeps animals, for food rather than as pets or working animals? I currently keep meat rabbits, but I would love some ducks. We’re also considering introducing chickens this year, as the price of eggs locally has recently rocketed.

We have animals as pets. I have thought about getting chickens for the eggs. Honestly I don’t think that I could raise an animal at home for food. I think I would become to attached.

I used to name the chickens for butchering names like Fried Chicken or Chicken Pot Pie. One was named Chicken Enchilada. It did help. One year I was quick to butcher them because we had raised some cornish cross chickens for meat and they got so big their legs would’ve broken. I don’t know which chickens we’ll try this year yet. We do have one barred rock hen for eggs, she’s great. The others were eaten by coyotes. I want raise a cow for meat (we have a goat for milk), but since my land isn’t quite ready, I think I’m going to try deer hunting this year.

I used to name the chickens for butchering names like Fried Chicken or Chicken Pot Pie. One was named Chicken Enchilada. It did help.

I like it! Our rabbits are all names Casserole! It saves remembering lots of different names, so we have White Casserole, and Little Casserole etc etc

You sound like you breed your chickens just for meat Ruby. Do you keep them for eggs too?

Unfortunately my partner can’t stand goats, but my neighbour has about 5 which he ‘walks’ every evening. They seem to be an awful lots of work.

Lol, Casserole, that’s good!

I haven’t been able to breed chickens for a few years, they disappear one by one, the coyotes get them. We were buying chicks every spring but when winter comes, the coyotes get desperate. We put up a fence, but they can climb them. We have one barred rock hen left for eggs, I call her the smart chicken because she’s learned to stay alive. However, we are going to make a pen with a high fence so we can close the gate at night and let them out in the morning after the coyotes are gone. Then we can still let them be free-range chickens. They all go in as the sun goes down, they just head out a little too early. I’m going to buy both Mille Fleurs and Barred Rocks for eggs. I’m not sure what I want to buy for butchering yet.

I only have two pygmy goats so it’s not so bad, but they are such brats!

The main problem I have with using them for meat is that I have two sons and I just know that they would become attached to them. Maybe when they are older this would be a possiblilty because then they would understand a little more that some people to raise them for food to eat.

The main problem I have with using them for meat is that I have two sons and I just know that they would become attached to them. Maybe when they are older this would be a possiblilty because then they would understand a little more that some people to raise them for food to eat.

Actually Tater. my son is the most matter of fact & least sentimental about the fact that some animals are destined to be dinner. Last year one of our dogs got into the rabbit pen & killed a mother & her litter which was really quite horrible. My son helped me to collect up the little corpses, finnish of the dying ones & bury the bodies. Then he quite happily helped our neighbour skin the mother for the pot & was the only one who wanted seconds of that evening’s dinner.

This kind of thing is a lot healthier I think than what the majority of society does. At least for meat-eaters who raise their own livestock there is the clear connection between the sacrifice of life and our food source. It’s probably good for children to understand as well because it stresses the importance of life.

I read an article about urban pets in some German cities! they weren’t being kept as food but as weed control. Urban dwellers were allowed one or two goats for example. They keep the lawn manicured and provide natural fertilizer.

I have heard that about the goats also. That is really a good idea. I hate to mow the lawn to begin with so if a goat would do it for me that would be fine with me.

I laughed pretty hard when I read about the goats in Germany but that’s actually a pretty good idea. The thing is there would be quite a bit of maintenance and so forth in order to take care of the goats that might be more expensive then it’s worth. Then again I’ve never had a goat as a pet!

I don’t keep goats myself, but this does not sound like a good idea to me.

Goats travel a wide area to graze in the wild, and allowing them to constantly graze the same area (as in an urban situation) can encourage a build up of pathogens / parasites as they will be grazing areas where they have recently defacated.

My neighbour keeps a small herd of goats, and ‘walks’ them over the entire village to ensure that they are always on the move. It is allot of work as he must also collect food for them, but he has a steady supply of milk and meat as compensation.

I didn’t know that about goat grazing. If this is knowledge that people know of then why aren’t there laws in Germany that stop people from having goats grazing their lawns? It seems an unusual thing to be doing in the first place but still, if it’s cruel to the animals then it should be stopped.

Every spring a sheep herder passes through our town with his flock. It is quite large and they pretty much “mow” down all the weeds and brush on the empty lots. It is pretty neat to watch. I love to watch the working dogs, they are awesome!